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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. key — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rush — hurry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — final
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com